Analysis of current data on the integration of Aussiedler or repatriated ethnic Germans in Germany (October 2020 – May 2022)

More than 4.5 million ethnic Aussiedler or repatriated ethnic Germans have come to Germany since 1950, especially from the states of the former Soviet Union, from Poland and Romania. Whilst Aussiedler formed the subject of an increasing amount of research on migration and integration in Germany in the 1990s and early 2000s, this interest seems to have waned significantly over the past decade. There are currently very few up-to-date, comprehensive studies on the topic.

That is why the Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR), in cooperation with the Research Centre at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), is investigating their current level of integration and participation. Besides structural indicators of participation, the study aims to investigate attitudes, convictions and opinions in this population group which are relevant to coexistence and social cohesion in Germany.

The analysis is based on data collected as part of the SVR Integration Barometer, specifically in 2018 and 2020, including numerous aspects relating to social, cultural and identificational integration. The large case numbers surveyed permit an analysis of Aussiedler as a separate demographic. This will be supplemented by an analysis conducted by the BAMF’s Research Centre of migration and micro census data which above all relate to structural aspects of integration such as education and labour market participation, as well as an analysis of research literature published over the last 10 years.

The results of the project were published in a study in spring 2022. The research project was co-funded through a grant from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The project ran from October 2020 to May 2022.

Publication

Study (Summary)

Successful integration? The lifeworlds and social participation of ethnic Aussiedler